Life of Shadows
by Miss Albus Severus
Summary: From darkness one understands the night. Redemption can be attempted by those who wish to revive their souls. A story of friendship, loyalty, choices and lust. 6th Year at Hogwarts
1. Exodus

LIFE OF SHADOWS

-----

Chapter 1-

Exodus

-----

"I lived a life of shadows, never felt the sun on my face."

-----

When I look back on all these memories I am reminded of the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life – most of which had never happened. I am going to tell you a few stories of my life. But you see, I am not on my deathbed. I am not an old man. I am not a storyteller. The twisted tale of my life is not a novel though many may assume it is. It all began in a time that was yesterday, today and eternally present. I guess you could say it all began when I went to Hogwarts.

-----

A wisp of mahogany hair worked its way loose from the intricate French plait worn by the teenager who stood, a dark silhouette against the vast cerulean sky, which was streaked with pale crimson. The expression on her face was cold, the shadows that the house cast reflected in her blue grey eyes, which for a second seemed to shine pure silver.

Tossing her head the girl laughed – a wide, reckless grin painted upon her face. She'd had enough. She was leaving. She would be normal. Lead an ordinary life and be an ordinary girl. Her past forgotten. Her future lay ahead, clean and clear with nothing on her conscience. She raised her head, turning back once to look at the place where she had grown up, lived her life. The slightly insane expression on her face melted away, only to be replaced by pure hatred.

Emotions. They were the source of her greatest strength. They were the source of her greatest weakness. Hate. Fear. The will to survive. Three emotions, which ruled her. Which controlled her. No more. She was going to live her life. She was going to fulfill her destiny. She couldn't stay there another night. She had to go. Here in the shadows she was safe. She was free. She couldn't stay where she didn't belong. Where would she go? That was one question she had the answer to. Katrina Milano shook her hair back, the look on her face unreadable. Her future lay ahead, in Hogwarts.

She still remembered the world from the eyes of a child. But those happy, warm, innocent thoughts had been clouded by what she knew now. The truth. She could remember playing outside, the sun always warm on her back. Somehow it seemed much more colder now. Katrina clenched her fists, a look of pure hatred smoldering in her eyes. Hatred for those who had brought her up. Hatred for her family, for her parents. "I want to go back to believing in everything and knowing nothing at all." She whispered, her eyes closed as if trying to shut out the thoughts, the worries, the fear, the doubt… but they just came pouring in.

She shook her head violently from side to side as if trying to get rid of the memories. They were nice. But that's all they were. Memories. Wherever she went now would be better than home. A stray tear trickled down her cheek. She wiped it away angrily, a fierce look on her face. Home. That… place… it wasn't a home. It was a dungeon. A hole to contain her. To control her. To destroy her. She would never go back there willingly. In the holidays… she didn't know. She'd have to stay with her godfather or if she made a good friend she could stay with him or her. But she wasn't going back there. Ever.

Katrina straightened her shoulders, emerging out of the carriage, her head held high. She looked up at the castle, her heart beating just a little faster. Her new home. A smile appeared on her face, lightning up her eyes for a second. Taking a deep breath she began to walk, her brand new Hogwarts robes flaring around her ankles. Here it was. What she'd been waiting for. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The place she could now call home. She gazed up at the castle, a look of wonder on her face. It was impressive with its many towers and turrets, striking against the darkened sky.

Taking a deep breath Katrina pushed open the heavy oak doors, hesitating for a moment then walking inside. She looked around, her mouth open slightly. Katrina had grown up in grandeur, yet there was something about Hogwarts that was awe-inspiring. She walked into the great hall cautiously, realising with a start that she was late. Looking around Katrina noticed a line of fairly young students looking petrified, leading upto a small stool with a battered old hat on top. Privately she wondered why they didn't get a new one… it wasn't as if Hogwarts couldn't afford it. Craning her neck to get a better view of the hat she blinked, standing on her tiptoes. Peering in, she leaned heavily on a suit of armour standing in the doorway. She was so intent in watching the Sorting that she didn't realise as a little man, poltergeist to be exact, sitting cross-legged hovered two inches behind her.

"Boo."  He said simply, shrieking with laughter as she jumped, knocking the suit of armour down in the process. Katrina winced as the clanging echoed throughout the hall, all of its occupants turning and staring at her openly. Suddenly becoming painfully aware of her rumpled hair, red eyes and overall terrible appearance Katrina hastily attempted to fix herself up before Godfather noticed, before he saw-

"Miss Milano is that you?"

Katrina froze as the whole hall went deathly quiet. Albus Dumbledore was walking over to her and before she knew it he had seized her arm and dragged her in front of the entire school.

"This," He said in what seemed to Katrina to be a thundering voice, "Is the newest addition to out school. This is Katrina Milano."


	2. Houses Abode

LIFE OF SHADOWS

-----

Chapter 2-

Houses Abode

-----

"I lived a life of shadows, never felt the sun on my face."

-----

Katrina felt like shriveling up and dying on the spot. Thousands of pairs of eyes were now fixated on her, watching her every move.

"Hello… erm… nice to meet you…?"  She said, her voice dwindling away so the statement ended up sounding like a question.

"Katrina will be staying with us for the next two years. She will join the current 6th years and be treated like an ordinary student."

Albus Dumbledore inclined his head to her and she smiled back at him, retuning his nod and preparing to go sit down.

"Where…"

She trailed off, her eyes flicking from one table to the next, wondering where she should go. Blinking, the youth looked around as if seeking guidance from those littered around her. They all watched her cautiously, as if urging her onward. Onward? Onward where?

_'I don't really like snakes,' _She found herself thinking randomly, turning to look at the Headmaster for instructions. He simply waved his hand, urging her on silently. Whispered conversations had broken out in groups between students. Katrina took a deep breath, darted an uneasy look at all the students, wondering whether they were wishing that she be sorted in their house or not. She spun on her heel, striding quickly to the small stool which hadn't been put away and sat down. Upon instinct she picked up the battered looking hat and slipped it onto her head.

_'I like cats better. Big cats.' _She thought, nearly jumping a foot in the air when a voice replied.

**Are you sure? You could be a great serpent…**

_'No… not a serpent,' _Katrina thought somewhat desperately, unaware that that one thought would probably change many a persons life

**That makes it a lot easier for me; enjoy your new house, GRYFFINDOR.**

Katrina got up shakily, taking off the hat and walking towards the table at the far end, Gryffindor Table.

'_Well, that had been easy…'****_

Gryffindor. She had chosen Gryffindor. A part of her felt proud, the other part cringed. Something within her screamed that she should have been put in Slytherin… with the serpents. She was probably the first person who wanted to be placed in Slytherin but was placed in another house. A small smile of satisfaction appeared on her face as she imagined the look of outrage on her parents faces. The blood of a thousand serpents flowed through her veins… yet she had been placed in the lions den.

As she sat down she heard a collective sigh, privately she wondered whether it was relief or regret. She looked around at her fellow classmates, smiling nervously. A few smiled back, others had guarded expressions on their faces. One boy caught her particular attention. He was staring at the ceiling with an avid expression on his face and blushed a delicate shade of magenta when he looked away from the sky and realized that she was watching him.

Katrina looked around the Hall curiously, taking in her surroundings. Four long tables stood, students seated on either end, each clad in the same black robes. Katrina looked down, fingering her own robes, a warm feeling growing inside of her. For once maybe she would belong. She could start over forget about her past.

"Shadow passes, light remains…" Katrina whispered to herself, causing a girl with bushy hair sitting nearby to scowl and put her finger to her lips. She made an apologetic face, staring absent-mindedly at the ceiling, which was currently having an array of shooting stars soaring across it.

Katrina heard Dumbledore's voice telling them to tuck in and slowly she felt as if she was being pulled back down to earth. She turned to the many dishes that had just appeared in front of her and pondered what to eat. So many choices, it was almost impossible to decide. Ah well, better have some of everything.

"Hey, can you pass me the Yorkshire pudding?" A voice said, tapping Katrina on the shoulder. She turned to see a youthful face with a sprinkling of freckles and topped with a mop of bright red hair.

"Yeah, sure." She muttered, reaching over for the bowl and handing it to the girl who was in fact Ginny Weasley.

"I'm Ginny by the way." The girl added as an afterthought, remembering her manners. "And that's my brother, Ron down the end of the table."

"Katrina Milano." Katrina said quietly, scooping up some salad.

"Yeah, kinda heard." Ginny interrupted, grinning. Katrina hesitated, wondering if Ginny was making fun of her. As if reading her thoughts she smiled reassuringly, her brown eyes twinkling. "Don't worry, i don't bite."

Katrina nodded, turning back to her plate. Seeing that she didn't want to talk anymore Ginny turned away and started discussing Quidditch tactics with Natalyn Jordan. Katrina bent her head and continued eating silently. The people seemed friendly enough. She couldn't let her guard down though. Yawning, she reached for some more pie but found she was too full to eat another bite. She smiled, wondering if the food was this good everyday. Glancing up she saw everyone getting up and filing out the door. She watched them for a few minutes and once she was sure she knew which one was her house she got up, following the girl who has scowled at her during Dumbledore's speech.

Yawning, Katrina crawled into bed, grateful for the crisp white sheets and fluffy pillows. Opening her eyes she propped her elbows up and rested her chin on her hand so she could look out the window on the other side of her dorm. She had pulled the ruby red curtains around her area three quarters shut so she would still be aware of everything that happened around her but have her privacy as well. Even though there was no fireplace in the room it was nice and toasty. Someone had even put a water bottle under the bed sheets. She reminded herself to thank that person. Unwillingly she felt fatigue envelop her, her head dropping down onto the soft pillows provided, one last thought in her head. Lessons tomorrow. Great…

-----

Harry stared at the ceiling, a small smile on his face. Well, well, well. A new addition to Gryffindor. No explanation either. That was interesting. A thoughtful look on his face Harry put his hands behind his head, his emerald green eyes glittering in the darkness. She seemed nice enough. A bit uncomfortable when under scrutiny though. He could relate to that. Yawning Harry felt a grin spread across his face. He would befriend her. Talk to her. Show her round the school. He wondered if she liked Quidditch… Suddenly another thought hit him. The look on her face, the way she held herself… it made him wonder what she'd been upto for the last sixteen years of her life. More importantly, where had she been for the last five years? Why hadn't she come to Hogwarts? How come Dumbledore hadn't mentioned that random people could join Hogwarts before? Who were her parents? Why didn't they let her come to Hogwarts in her first year along with everyone else? Was she some kind of child prodigy? Why had she looked so shocked when the sorting hat said that she was in Gryffindor? Had she wanted to be in Slytherin? What if she believed the Daily Prophet and thought he was a nut case?

With all these questions plaguing his mind Harry was sure he was going to suffer from insomnia but eventually he dozed off and slept soundly throughout the night, not even waking up when a raven glided in silently through the window, perching on his pillow and watching him. The bird didn't move a feather until the first rays of sunlight could be seen. Then it took off, flying out the window with ease as noiselessly as it arrived. Harry stretched, turning over in his sleep, completely unaware of his feathered beholder.


	3. The Boy With the Scar

LIFE OF SHADOWS

-----

Chapter 3-

The boy with the scar

-----

"I lived a life of shadows, never felt the sun on my face."

-----

The house elf was banging her head against the lamp again. And again. And again. And ag--

"Wake up sleepy head." Came a brisk voice and before she knew it, the covers were off and she was sitting upright in her bed, shivering. Who was this stranger calling her a sleepy head? It must be about three am in the morning, she had a right to be sleepy. Katrina looked at the girl who had woken her up, recognizing her from the night before.

"What's the matter? And who're you?" She muttered, yawning, opening one eye drearily.

"Hermione Granger." The girl said quickly, bustling around and reminding Katrina very much of a nanny. Katrina simply nodded, still half asleep but soon found herself at ease with this bushy haired, confident female. Once they started talking Katrina found her to be quite intellectual, no wonder she had been made prefect. She also found out how many lessons you could have in a day, the pros and cons of all of them, how long she should spend on homework daily, when she should start revising for her N.E.W.Ts and what parchment was suitable for each subject. She was tired already.

****

Katrina walked down the stairway alone, her normally pale complexion looking slightly peaky. Briefly she wondered if anyone was going to talk to her. Hermione had probably been friendly because she was a prefect and had to be nice to her. Better to be left alone, ignored, than in a crowd where no one wants you she decided looking at a group of friends standing together and sharing a private joke. She raised one hand to rub the sleep out of her eyes, her hair slightly rumpled.

"Milano!"

Katrina turned her head towards the sound, her shoulders tensed but they relaxed slightly as she saw Hermione with Ginny's brother - a tall, gangly boy with bright red hair and a sprinkle of freckles across his nose and cheeks standing beside the guy she had seen the night before.

"Hello…" She said haltingly, walking over to them and feeling highly awkward.

"Hi, I'm Ron Weasley." The red haired boy said, grinning at her.

"And I'm Harry Potter."

Katrina nodded at Ron, privately wondering whether all Weasley's had that shock of bright red hair, turning to face Harry.

"Hi," She said easily, smiling at him and to Harrys surprise not falling over her feet to meet 'The boy who lived'. She was finally meeting the boy with the scar. He looked a bit more… normal than she had originally expected, then again he wouldn't go around with a enlightening spell cast on his scar with a female fan club tagging behind. Katrina smiled to herself, glad that she had someone to talk to, even if it was a prefect and her friends. 

-----

Draco stared at his reflection which surprisingly enough, stared back. The large frown on his face revealed that he was not entirely satisfied with his appearance – which was surprising as to any normal person he would look completely normal. Gorgeous in fact. But no. As any Malfoy would, Draco had to look perfect. He had to: there was no 'but' about it. A tousled head appeared from behind the door, amber eyes revealing that Blaise Zabini was still half asleep. "Quote of the day." He yawned, straggling his way over to the large ornate mirror and pulling a face at his reflection. "Although a tousled head may look good, it rarely has practical qualities."

Draco raised an eyebrow at his friend, feeling that pulling faces in the mirror was too juvenile for words. "How about, although Blaise Zabini may look good, it rarely helps to be late for classes? Has a nice right to it, non?" He said mockingly. Blaise raised an eyebrow.

"What's with the French?"

Draco let out a groan, covering his face with his hands. "We went to France for the summer holidays… I learn all about famous French wizards and how baguettes and frozen croissants managed to save all of them." Ignoring Blaise's dumbfounded expression, Draco swept out of his dormitory, heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

He couldn't believe that he'd missed the feast yesterday. Damn Blaise and his crackpot ideas. Trying to fix him up with Sarah Zabini, Blaise's gay cousin. Not gay in the literal sense though, just her in general. Sighing, Draco shook his head, a fine strand of white blond hair falling across his grey eyes, temporarily obscuring his view. Sighing, the teen brushed it aside, pushing past a 3rd year Gryffindor, shooting a glare at him whilst he was at it. It wasn't that he didn't like Sarah… actually, it was because he didn't like Sarah. She was pretty in a odd sort of way but she was just plain weird. He had never met anyone who sniffed their finger on a daily basis and asked to sniff other peoples fingers. Sarah was clearly insane. Pushing open the doors to the Great Hall, Draco made his way to the Slytherin Table, head held high. So high in fact that he didn't notice a familiar face, which was half buried in a bowl of porridge.

-----


	4. The Three Musketeers

LIFE OF SHADOWS

-----

Chapter 4-

The three musketeers

-----

"I lived a life of shadows, never felt the sun on my face."

-----

Katrina sighed, glaring at her bowl of porridge. Blinking, she glanced at the staff table then at her watch, a hesitant expression on her face. Should she go yet? Maybe it was too early… sighing again, the youth looked back at her food, pushing aside her porridge and grabbing a slice of toast instead. She frowned, looking around for some other flavour of jam apart from Pumpkin. Locating a blackcurrant jar she pulled it towards herself but found that she was unable to open it. After wrestling with it for what seemed like over an hour she gave up with a humph defeat, leaning back in her chair, just in time to trip up the same prefect who had talked to her that morning.

Eyes widening, Katrina hopped off her chair and leant down next to Hermione, her sepia locks obscuring her face and preventing Hermione from seeing the guilty expression painted upon Katrinas face.

"I'm so sorry… I-"

"Never mind," Hermione said, cutting her off and getting unsteadily to her feet. Looking up Katrina noticed that Harry Potter and Ron whats-his-face were standing behind the two girls, watching with matching amused expressions on their faces. Casting her mind around for something safe to talk about she smiled, thinking up a foolproof plan.

 "So, any of you play Quidditch?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at the three. Ron and Hermione grinned and pointed to Harry silently, who looked highly embarrassed.

"Both Harry and me are on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and Harry here is the youngest seeker in a century."

"Really?" Katrina asked, looking interested, inwardly cheering that her plan was working.

"I play chaser… dunno if I'm good enough to be on a team though" She said out loud, twirling a lock of hair absent mindedly.

"Angelina Johnson is leaving this year I think… you could try out for chaser spot." Ron said out loud, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Yeah, I could give it a try." Katrina replied smiling.

"Ron here likes the Chudley Cannons." Harry couldn't help saying, watching with a grin as Ron kicked into defensive mode.

"Chudley Cannons, eh?" Katrina said, holding back a laugh. Seeing the look on Rons face she managed to keep it in.

"They're okay, I'm sure they'll win…one day…" She couldn't help saying, almost falling over in a fit of laughter. Once she stopped Katrina couldn't help noticing the slightly hurt look on Hermiones face. Maybe it was just her imagination but maybe they were leaving Hermione out a bit…

"So, what do you do in your spare time?" Katrina asked, turning to Hermione with a questioning look on her face.

"She studies." Harry supplied, not noticing how quiet Hermione had gone.

"And dates famous Quidditch players." Ron couldn't help adding, his face darkening considerably.

"Famous Quidditch players, eh? Who would that be now?" Katrina asked, grinning at Hermione who had gone rather red.

"I… um… erm…" She stuttered, looking around desperately for a distraction.

"I wonder how Hagrid is." She said finally and looking rather pleased with herself for coming up with a diversion.

"Yeah…" Harry said thoughtfully, scratching his chin.

"Hagrid?" Katrina asked, a confused look on her face.

"Oh yeah, sorry I forgot you're new…" Harry said indifferently.

"He's our half giant friend." Ron answered grinning.

"With a disturbing habit of breeding dragons and liking deadly creatures."

After hearing this Katrina looked more than a little worried.

"But don't worry, Hagrid's a sport." Ron said winking at her.

"I'll take your word for it." Katrina said, still a little suspicious.

"Oh, about how much homework do we get in one day?" She asked, a question she had been wondering about.

"More then you can cope." Ron said grimly, a serious look on his face.

"Don't scare her Ron." Hermione scolded lightly, wagging a finger at him.

"If you do it on time it's fine… hey that rhymed!" Hermione exclaimed, mentally making a note to charm Harry and Rons homework timetables to yell that during exam weeks.

"Oh, catch up with you later, I have to go talk to Professor Dumbledore about my timetable." Katrina said, waving at them and walking towards the table where all the Staff were assembled.

-----

Katrina made her way back to Gryffindor Table, going over her conversation with the Headmaster in her head. He had said that he had given her the same classes as Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and a few with Hermione Granger, although Harry and Ron would probably be in them too. A thoughtful expression appeared on her face as she remembered her Godfathers unusual smirk, as if he knew something she didn't. Which was probably true. She guess she didn't really mind having someone choose her classes for her… she just prayed that Harry, Ron and Hermione had chosen good classes… with nice teachers. Hearing someone call her name Katrina spun around but instead bumped into someone behind her, scattering the persons belongings all over the floor in the process. It was a girl. A girl with slightly slanted eyes and long, thick silky hair which was worn loose around her shoulders.

"Oh, whoops, wasn't looking where I was going." Katrina said hastily, attempting to pick up some of the girls things. What had gotten into her that morning? She was turning into a klutz 101.

"Terribly sorry." She said apologetically, offering her hand to the girl.

"I'm Katrina Milano by the way." She added, feeling like a clumsy oaf and wondering whether anyone had been watching her. The girl simply sneered at her, picking up the rest of her possessions and putting them safely away in her bag.

"Right."

She said, flicking her hair haughtily

"I."

She lingered, her eyes glancing at Katrina from head to toe

"Am Cho Chang."


	5. Cat Fight

LIFE OF SHADOWS

-----

Chapter 5-

Cat fight

-----

"I lived a life of shadows, never felt the sun on my face."

-----

Katrina stared at the girl blankly, wondering who the heck Cho Chang was and why she thought she was…'all that'.

"Oh."

She turned around, her gaze settling on Harry who was just about to take a bite out of a piece of soggyfied toast. She gestured discreetly towards Cho Chang, her blue grey eyes pleading for him to help her out. He looked back at her, getting up and appearing beside the two girls in a flash. He moved forward, placing a hand on Katrina's shoulder.

"Hey there Cho." He said easily, smiling and raking a hand through his hair.  "I see you two have met."

Cho simply looked at him, one eyebrow raised, the look on face clearly saying 'Don't state the obvious, spit out what you want to say and stop wasting my time.'

"Right, well…" He trailed off, seeing the look on her face.

"I'm quite a busy person." Cho said, in what Katrina thought was quite a rude voice.

"What are you implying exactly?" Katrina said coldly, her blue grey eyes looking like chips of ice.

"Anyone with half a brain would be able to see that." Cho sneered, an impertinent look on her face. She spun on her heel, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione and especially Katrina to stare after her.

-----

"Are all Ravenclaws such bitc…err…rude?" Katrina asked while buttering a slice of toast. Harry shook his head slowly, a confused look on his face.

"She's not usually so… rude. In fact she's quite nice once you get to know her. We must have caught her on a bad day." He said, not sounding very sure of himself at all. Katrina raised an eyebrow at him.

"I still think that girl has a serious attitude problem." She said, grabbing a piece of toast from Rons plate and buttering it, ignoring his look.

"I'm hungry!" She protested, sticking her tongue out at him. Ron just laughed and shook his head at her.

"Y'know, I've never actually met anyone quite like you." He said scrutinizing her. Katrina cocked her head and looked at him, her face screwed up in thought as if trying to figure out whether he was insulting her or giving her a compliment. 

"I've never met anyone like you either." She said finally, scratching her head.

"What about me!" Harry complained, flicking a breadcrumb at Katrina.

"Hey!" She yelled as it hit her square between the eyes.

"Unfair." Katrina said pouting, producing a crumpled up piece of parchment from somewhere and aiming it at Harry. He looked down as it glanced off his shoulder.

"Is that the best you can do?" He asked, grabbing a nearby sausage and waving it threateningly.

"In your dreams." Katrina retorted grabbing Ron and the Ketchup Bottle.

"Come on Ron, let's show him how it's done!"

"FOOD FIGHT!" One of the first years yelled and before they knew what was happening it was a full fledged war.

"Every man, woman and mashed potato for itself!" Neville Longbottom screamed, ducking to avoid a flying egg. Briefly Katrina wondered why none of the teachers were attempting to stop them but her train of thought was interrupted as she was hit in the face with a bowl of porridge.

"Not-fair" She gasped, wiping porridge out of her eyes.

There was chaos everywhere. Some Hufflepuffs had decided to contribute with some of their own food. Slytherins saw this as an opportunity to openly hex students of opposing houses. Ravenclaw had taken refuge under their table and were cautiously watching the goings on. The prefects were trying to put a stop to it all but their efforts were in vain. For no one could stop the food fight.

"I'm running out of ketchup." Katrina said, panting.

"I can't help you!" Ron yelled over his shoulder, aiming his wand at a nearby Slytherin.

"Come back here you cowardly doxy dropping!"

She watched as he jumped up and ran after the boy.

"Yuck!" Katrina said, a disgusted look on her face as she attempted to get jam out of her hair.

"I think that's enough." Came Professor Mc Gonagall's magnified voice.

Every student froze and turned towards her.

"I know this is the first day and you are all excited but there is a limit."

She waved her wand and all the excess food disappeared, the students were still covered though.

"I suggest you all get cleaned up." She said, surveying them all before sweeping out the hall.

"Gah, that went well." Katrina whispered to Harry who was a few feet away from her.

"Yeah, really well." He hissed, trying to scoop soggy cereal remains out from where someone had poured it down his back.

"It was fun though." She said grinning, ignoring Harry's look. Glancing at her watch, she gasped, getting up and rushing out of the hall, leaving a trail of porridge behind her. Just as the doors swung closed behind her a tall figure materialized out of what seemed to be thin air.

"Well, well, well." Came a slightly sneering, incredibly familiar voice. The voice that belonged to Draco Malfoy.


	6. Befriend Your Enemies

LIFE OF SHADOWS

-----

Chapter 6-

Befriend your enemies

-----

"I lived a life of shadows, never felt the sun on my face."

-----

"What are you doing here Weasley?" Malfoy sneered, flanked as always by his would-be body guards, Crabbe and Goyle who both looked a little less threatening than usual with porridge all over their face. Malfoy however had somehow managed to stay spotless throughout the whole fight.

"Shouldn't you be off somewhere, begging for money for your next meal?"

"Ron! No!" Hermione said, struggling to hold a ketchup soaked Ron back from pouncing on Malfoy.

Hermione sank into the nearest available chair on Gryffindor Table, immediately followed by Harry and eventually Ron.

"Not you again." She moaned, holding her head in her hands, not seeming to notice the jam.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Hermione asked, sighing audibly, a strand of hair falling over her face. Without realising what he was doing Ron leant forward and tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. Hermione looked at him suspiciously, wondering whether he had planted something like a mini dung bomb on her.

"Sorry…" He muttered, his face turning red.

"And you should be," Malfoy said, a disgusted look on his face. "Seriously, keep your disgusting displays of affection out of sight. We really don't want to know what a mudblood and a Weasley get upto."

"How dare you…you…"

Ron stood there spluttering, his face flushed of its usual freckled complexion, reminding Harry of an over ripe tomato, which Dudley had sat on, yet hadn't burst. He wondered how much more Ron would take before he exploded…

"What's the matter Weasley?" Draco said grinning, casually raking a hand through his hair as he picked up a glass of pumpkin juice on the table.

"Get your own stinking pumpkin juice Malfoy." Ron said, eyes narrowed. Hermione nodded emphatically, grabbing the goblet back from him and spilling some down his front in the process. Draco scowled, grabbing a napkin and attempting to rub it clean. Throwing it down in defeat he shot them all a trademark glare, spinning around and stalking out of the hall, shooting them a last remark over his shoulder.

"By the way, we have a new Defence Against Dark Arts teacher. Father recommended him."

The trio looked at each other with raised eyebrows, each privately debating whom it could be.

-----

"Crap it, crap it…" Katrina muttered, hurrying along the narrow corridor, her hair swinging out behind her in a curtain of russet. "My first day and I had to forget my books." Hurrying past a group of giggling Second Years she ran up the stairs, glancing at the slender band on her wrist. It was pure chance that she took the stairs two at a time and so missed out the sinking step. Pausing, she frowned looking at the two identical corridors that extended from the point where she was standing. "Crap… why do they all look the same?" She muttered to herself.

"Something wrong?"

Katrina spun around in time to see a tall, slender raven-haired girl standing about two feet behind her. How Katrina had managed to miss her she would never know. The girl seemed to make a statement just standing there. Her skin was as pale as Katrina's' but the look in her eyes was the complete opposite. Katrina's eyes flicked immediately to the Slytherin snake present on the front of her robes. Her face remained impassive although she had tensed, ready to plunge her hand into her robes and whip out her wand at a seconds notice. The girl watched her calmly, her iridescent optics gleaming surreptitiously.

'She was someone not to be taken lightly.' Katrina thought, her blue grey eyes narrowed. "Name?" She said shortly, eyeing the girl warily. The girl leant against a pillar looking at serenely. When she didn't answer Katrina made an exasperated noise, spun on her heel and began to ascend the stairs that had just kicked into place in front of her. She had the uneasy feeling of being watched all the way upto her dormitory.

-----

Books clutched to her chest the brunette took of for the Great Hall at a steady pace, keeping an eye out for the black haired girl. Bursting into the hall she paused, blue grey eyes flicking around the room to find the source of her discomfort. A frown appeared on her face yet again as she found nothing out of the ordinary. Then again, she hadn't been a student long enough to realise what could be classed as 'out of the ordinary' at Hogwarts.

Sighing, she hurried to the Gryffindor Table and slid into her seat just as she glanced down and came to the realization that although she had retrieved her books, she'd forgotten to grab her quills and parchment. The only quill she could find in her bag was snapped in half and the only piece of parchment… well, there was none. Groaning the brunette got to her feet, about to make the journey to Gryffindor tower once again.

At the sound of her moan a sandy haired boy looked up, a minute piece of scrambled egg stuck to his chin. "What's the matter?" He asked, and Katrina was surprised to notice that apart from being curious he was actually willing to help.

"Well if you really want to know I just took a trip to Gryffindor tower to get my books and now I've got to go back again because I've forgotten my quills and parchment up there. Katrina Milano." She added as an after thought, eyeing the guy uncertainly.

"Seamus Finnigan." Seamus said smiling and shaking her hand enthusiastically, reaching into her bag at the same time. "Here you can borrow mine, I've got Herbology first thing and we never have to write notes in our first lesson."

Katrina reached out and took them, a slight smile on her face. "Thanks." She said softly, touched. Here was someone who didn't even know her but was willing to help anyway by giving her his stationary just so she wouldn't have to make another trip. If she had known what would be the consequence of his kindness she would have gotten as far away from him as possible. Unfortunately Katrina was not physic and therefore accepted the quill and parchment.

"No problem." Seamus said, waving a hand. If befriending someone was this easy then befriending your enemies couldn't be much harder. She spoke too soon.

-----


	7. Ruffled Feathers

LIFE OF SHADOWS

-----

Chapter 7-

Ruffled Feathers

-----

"I lived a life of shadows, never felt the sun on my face."

-----

Katrina stared at her new timetable, a frown creasing her forehead. There were so many classes, so many different teachers, in different places, she doubted that she would ever be on time anywhere or even know where she was going for that matter.

"A bit overwhelming isn't it?"

She heard Harry say as craned his neck to see her timetable. She nodded, peeking over his shoulder to look at his. He grinned, putting one hand behind his head in an attempt to get his hair to lie flat, even though it was wet. They'd all had to take showers after the fight and now they were right back where they started. 

"Does it always stick up like that?" Katrina asked, an amused look on her face. Harry blushed and opened his mouth but was spared answering her by the flock of owls that swooped down suddenly upon them. Katrina stared at them, mouth open slightly as Harry watched her, a smile on his lips. To Katrinas' surprise two owls landed in front of her, one a handsome tawny owl and the other…

"That one is Malfoys." Harry said with barely disguised disgust.

"Malfoy?" Katrina asked, a confused look on her face. "Malfoy… it sounds vaguely familiar." She frowned, attempting to search her memory. "Malfoy." She said again, hoping that saying it would trigger a memory.

"Yeah, Draco Malfoy." Harry said languidly, glancing at her. For some reason he felt as if it was his job to educate her in matters of filth such as Malfoy.

"Most wizarding families are aware of them. Maybe you've heard of his parents? Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy?" When her face remained blank Harry shrugged, sighing. "Well lets just say that they're not a very nice lot. The whole family has been placed in Slytherin and their current son – Draco – is like the Slytherin Prince. He's a little ferret." Harry said, a grin on his face for reasons unknown to Katrina. "You might as well open the letter although it's probably something he's hoping will kill me."

Oblivious to the Potter/Malfoy feud she gave him a queer look, wondering if Harry Potter had actually cracked after all he'd been through.

"Right…" She said slowly, making a mental note to buy 'The book of Paranoia signs' for Christmas. Ripping open the envelope she looked inside for the contents which was a piece of parchment that she unrolled slowly then quickly skimmed.

"It's not from… Draco did you say it was? It's from someone called Keller. Listen to this-" She said, reading out the message.**__**

_Meet me outside the Greenhouses at midnight tonight. Show or else._

_-- Keller_

_ ****_

Katrina frowned, shrugging and ripping the piece of parchment into little bits and throwing it in the air, where it came down like confetti, sticking in Harry's hair. She looked at him, expecting him to be laughing, smiling at the very least. Instead he had an anxious look on his face, his eyes searching hers ardently, as if he was worried she'd actually go.

"Harry? You don't think I'd actually go and meet this person who's threatening to kill me do you?"

Harry looked surprised for a moment, then hastily shook his head, bits of the parchment falling out of his hair.

"No, of course not… aren't you going to open your other letter?" He asked, motioning to the tawny which was still waiting patiently. Katrina nodded, hesitating for a moment before reaching out and taking the roll of parchment from the owl. Who'd be writing her a letter? She wondered, a slightly confused look on her face. Harry looked at her, a small smile on his face.

"I wonder who it's…" She broke off mid-sentence, a look of utter horror on her face. A crest was stopping the parchment from springing apart. A dragon and a basilisk were the main items on it, standing back to back, half of each beast showing only. Underneath the two creatures was the phrase, the phrase that made her life not worth living…

Katrina whispered it out loud, her blue grey eyes wide and fearful. No. It couldn't be. She wouldn't let it. How dare they. Her emotions switched quickly, from fear to hatred to anger and then back to fear.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked, concerned, looking suspiciously at the owl, as if it were all its fault.

"What does… that stuff… mean?"

Hermione spoke up from where she had been reading a text book propped up against the jug of pumpkin juice.

"It's Latin for****_Life of Shadows_" She said matter of factly, immediately absorbed in her book once again. Harry looked at Katrina, a questioning look on his face, but she didn't answer him, suddenly becoming very interested in the ceiling, which was clear and blue, an occasional white fluffy cloud floating across. Katrina couldn't tell Harry who the letter was from. She almost laughed out loud at the frustation the situation caused. A simple letter could cause so much trouble. Amazing.

"I have to go." Katrina said simply, when Harry opened his mouth to ask her something she knew that she couldn't answer… not truthfully anyway. She got up and walked away from the house tables, ignoring the raucous whispers that seemed to plague her. How she wanted to wipe those stupid smirks off their faces. Shaking her head from side to side she steeled herself. Who cared what they thought? Who cared what anyone thought? She knew the answer to that, it lay deep within her heart. She cared. Pushing her hair out of her eyes angrily she ran out the hall, her fists clenched at her sides. How could they do this to her? And she wasn't talking about the Slytherins. A Slytherin first year walked and stood in front of her, a idiotic grin on his face. Katrina gave him a glare that sent him running. She was not in the mood.

-----

Katrina leant against the wall outside, covering her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking slightly. She wished… she wished for so many things but most of all she wished that she could tell everyone everything. She wished she could tell them the truth. Scowling she clenched and unclenched her fists, seemingly oblivious to the half moon shaped marks she left in her own skin. She would tell the entire school everything in a second… but she knew if they knew about her past, who she really was, they would give her a look of loathing and hate her for the rest of her time spent at Hogwarts.

She couldn't tell them the truth. She'd have to carry on lying. Carry on pretending she was something she wasn't. She couldn't afford to let anyone know about her. The real her. She'd have to do whatever it took to keep them all from knowing… from finding out… she stared up at the sky which had darkened, rumbling black clouds shifting hazily, contrary to what the ceiling in the Great Hall said. They had no idea who she really was. Katrina slid down to the ground, her hair falling over her face, tears mingling with rain as she sobbed, a lone figure in the whole of Hogwarts.

-----


	8. The Potions Master

LIFE OF SHADOWS 

-----

Chapter 8-

The Potions Master

-----

"I lived a life of shadows, never felt the sun on my face."

-----

Katrina snuck into the potions dungeon - late, wet and shivering where the rest of her class was already assembled. Now there was the simple question of whether her teacher, who currently had his back to the class would notice. She inched past the desks, looking around the class for a seat. She looked nervously at the back of her Professor who was writing something on the board.

_'Just don't turn around, just don't turn around' _She thought, biting her lip nervously.

"Oi, thingy! Spare seat here." Ron said, catching sight of her. Katrina froze, watching as the teacher turned around, raising his head to look her in the eye.

"Well," He said, slowly and deliberately. "Nice of you to join us, Miss…"

"Milano." Katrina supplied quietly, looking down at her shoes. Severus Snape paused and stiffened, eyeing her with an unreadable expression.

"Milano, eh? Would that be Katrina Milano, daughter of Drucilla and Fillip Milano?"

Katrina looked at him steadily for what seemed like an age before nodding slowly. Her face seemed calm but her heart was thumping so loudly she was certain that everyone could hear it. This must be Severus Snape. Interesting. Katrina surveyed him briefly before ducking her head – the simple action showing that she knew who he was as well as portraying the fact that she was apologizing for being late.

Snape watched her coolly, his greasy black hair falling in his eyes.

"Sit down and don't be late again or you'll end up in detention. 10 points from Gryffindor."

Katrina simply nodded, walked over to Harry and sat down, beginning on the task set, a drowsiness potion.

"Are you feeling better now?" Harry whispered after a while, looking at her worriedly. She smiled at him and nodded, just as a piece of parchment hit her in the back of her head.

"Ouch!" She said scowling, rubbing the back of her head with one hand, picking up the parchment and smoothing it out with the other.

"_Meet me in front of the weeping mermaid at midnight tonight. We need to talk._" Katrina read out loud, a confused look on her face.

"Who's it from?" Harry asked offhandedly, concentrating on putting in the right amount of Mermaid scales in his cauldron.

"It's from that Draco person you were talking about."

Harry's head snapped up, emerald eyes flashing.

"Draco? Draco Malfoy?"

"Well, I think so. It doesn't say his surname but Draco isn't a very common name is it? Draco…" She said again, trailing off, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Can I see the note?" Harry asked, eyes narrowed. Katrina nodded, tossing it towards him the thoughtful yet slightly confused look on her face still present.

"He's trying to trick you." Harry said abruptly as soon as he read the note. "He did the same thing to me in our first year. Said he wanted to duel me but never showed up and tipped the school caretaker so we'd get in trouble."

"We?" Katrina asked, slightly bewildered.

"Oh, Ron was my second and Hermione tagged along just to yell at us. Neville had gotten locked out of the common room because he'd forgotten the password if my memory serves correct."

"Interesting…" Katrina said absent mindedly, not really listening. What were the odds that on her first day at Hogwarts she'd get two notes from people she'd never even heard of and both were asking her to meet them at the same time?

"I would advise not meeting either of them." Harry said, looking at her. Katrina shook her head slowly, a thoughtful look on her face.

"I need to go, otherwise one of two things will kill me. My curiosity or paranoia that he's stalking me."

Ron cleared his throat loudly and abruptly, jerking his head towards the advancing Snape. Harry and Katrina didn't get his message as they weren't paying attention. The brunette folded the note carefully and was about to slip into her notebook but was interrupted by Snape.

"What's this?" He snapped, materializing out of thin air. Hermiones' hand shot up as it always did after a teacher had asked a question.

"Yes, Miss Granger? Would you care to enlighten me?" He asked, an exasperated look on his face.

"It is… I mean, was an invitation Professor" She said matter of factly.

"From Potter I assume?" Snape said nastily, turning on Harry. Briefly Katrina wondered why he would think that but was distracted by Hermione's answer.

"No, actually Professor it was from Malfoy." Hermione interrupted, grinning. By the end of the lesson both Katrina and Harry had detention.

-----

The rest of the lesson went by slowly and painfully but they all emerged in one piece. "Well, we survived the first potions back." Ron said cheerfully, hoisting his satchel more securely onto his back. Katrina nodded absent-mindedly. She was too preoccupied with the uneasy thought that Snape knew more about her than he was letting on… she had a feeling that she and the potions master were not going to be the best of friends.

She was beginning to feel rather ill with the realisation that Snape had the upper hand. He could make her do anything he wanted. On the other hand all hated him so she would have some sympathy on the matter. Still, the fact remained that it was Snape - one Katrina - zero. She had to find out how much he knew and fast. A wave of nausea threatened to engulf her as she saw everything that she had worked so hard for go down the drain. Her fresh start. Her new life. All gone. Finished. She had to obey Snape's' every command if she hoped to achieve what she had set out to do. If she put one toe out of line… who knew what he would do. Katrina was his human house elf. He was her master. She might have to beg… to plead for his forgiveness if she couldn't control her temper. Katrina would have to be a complete suck up and be little angel in potions. It would be like she was a potion ingredient. She was going to be sick.

-----

**A/N – I found this chappie on a rouge floppy, thankfully… however I won't be able to post any more chappies until I get my A drive fixed. –Sigh-**

**But thank you so much Divine Silence. One of your favourite stories? Really? And Anime-Fangirl2, I haven't forgotten about the Millenium Necklace; I still intend to finish this fic =D You guys rock!**


	9. Encounters

LIFE OF SHADOWS

-----

Chapter 9-

Encounters

-----

"I lived a life of shadows, never felt the sun on my face"

-----

Blue grey eyes flew open in the darkness, flicking around the dormitory. Rubbing her eyes, Katrina dragged herself out of bed; head feeling heavy because of lack of sleep. Shivering, she reached out blindly for her robes, leaning forward in order to feel the material of her school robes. Still half asleep the youth reached for her hairbrush on the side table to the left of her bed, eyes as wide as possible in an attempt to see as clearly as possible in her pitch black surroundings.

Still at unease with her unfamiliar environs she reached too far out and knocked over her brush, which fell to the ground with an exceptionally loud clatter. Cursing silently Katrina held her breath as the girl lying opposite her rolled over, muttered something and thankfully slept on. Heart now thumping frantically in her chest she pulled on her robes, tugged on her shoes and slipped out the door silently. Fifteen minutes later she had woken up a very disgruntled Fat Lady, dodged the upside down sleeping form of Peeves, hidden behind a suit of amour for what seemed like years whilst a teacher who shall remain unknown picked his nose and eventually gotten to where she had first intended.

She stood outside the Great Hall, looking around for any sign of a teacher. Here she paused uncertainly. Should she go to meet this stranger? Glancing at her watch Katrina registered the fact that she had about five minutes to get to the statue if she did not wish to be late. Pulling out a scrumpled piece of parchment upon which was a rough sketch of the web of corridors leading to the weeping mermaid which she had drawn with the guidance of Nearly Headless Nick. "Lumos." She muttered, the tip of her wand flaring to a pale light to illuminate the map. After a few minutes of careful viewing accompanied by furtive glances she rolled the parchment up, putting it back in her pocket.

Turning right Katrina immediately found herself at the top of a set of steps, leading down into what seemed to be a dungeon similar to the one that she had her potions lesson in. Pulling her robe tighter around her Katrina descended the stairs, emerging into the dungeon that seemed to be an old, abandoned classroom. A soft, filtered light shone through the small, high placed window, which was grimy and covered with what looked like an inch of dust. Bare tables and stools were cluttered around the room, most of them missing legs or seats which was unusual - but it was the far wall which caught Katrina's attention.

A beautiful sculpture was embossed into the wall, the grief stricken expression of a mermaid boring into Katrina like the grip of a Kappa. Pearly tears dropped from her eyes, her mouth open in what seemed to be a silent plea. Almost against her will she moved forward, one hand outstretched, still clutching her wand. For the second time that night she froze, sensing rather than hearing a movement behind her. Spinning around, Katrina held out her wand rather like one holds a sword, blue grey eyes shining in anticipation.

"Reflexes as good as they always were." A smooth voice announced from the shadows, not even a foot away from where Katrina stood. At that moment the clouds shifted, plunging Katrina into a deeper darkness and throwing the pale sliver of light onto the person who had spoken. Katrina smiled wolfishly, knowing very well that at that moment the light was to her advantage. Tilting her head Katrina frowned, surveying the guy in front of her. Eyes flicked over his physique quickly, eventually coming to rest on his face, although neither were very accurate indication of how much of a threat the person was.

"And you are?" She asked, shifting slightly to get a better view of his wand hand. She didn't want to be caught unprepared if this individual decided that she was an ideal target for a hex.

The boy turned slightly, giving her a clear view of his face for the first time. He was a teenager – a boy around the same age as Katrina herself. He might have been handsome in other circumstances. White blond hair was combed immaculately, each strand as fine as a very young child's. The pigments of his face were very pale – even paler then her own. His features were sharply defined –face well made; his tall body was lithe. The reckless grin he wore and the way he held himself betrayed the fact that he was an incredibly confident, breaching on arrogant person, knew that he was incredibly good looking and knew how to use them both to his advantage.

The clouds moved slightly, bathing both Katrina and the top half of the boy in a silky glow. For the first time since Katrina had arrived at Hogwarts they both saw each other. A sharp intake of breath issued from Katrina. Slate grey eyes turned on her as the moonlight came to rest on her, the carefree smile on the guys face turning into what could only be described as complete and utter shock.

"Kitten?" He said, the startled expression not leaving. Katrina jerked herself away from the eerily familiar silver of his eyes, and consoled herself that she had never met him by gripping her wand very, very hard.

"What?" She snapped, frowning at this strange person who asked to meet her in a random classroom in the middle of the night, made obscene comments about how fast she could point her wand at his throat then somehow manage to mistake her for a feline. "Who _are_ you?" Katrina repeated, a touch of irritation grating her tone.

"You don't recognize me?"

"I've never seen you before in my life." She said, beginning to doubt his sanity.

"It's me – Draco. Draco Malfoy." Draco said, holding out his arms as if somehow he thought it would refresh her memory. "Dragon." He prompted searching her face for any sign of recognition. When she just stared at him - thoroughly spooked Draco sighed, arms dropping at his sides.

"Why did you ask to be put in Gryffindor?" He asked abruptly, silver eyes narrowed. Katrina remained silent, continuing to look steadily at this individual who claimed to know her. Even though she hadn't the faintest idea of who he was, she felt compelled to answer his question. Pocketing her wand, she turned her back on him tilting her head back to stare out of the impossibly small window that offered the only source of natural light in the room.

"One thought." She almost whispered, gazing out the window almost dreamily. "That's all it takes. One thought." She turned around to see Draco staring at her but not in the 'you're nuts' way she had expected. Instead the look that greeted her was the exasperated and slightly puzzled expression a brother gives his sister when she's rambling on about something she doesn't understand.

"Yeah, whatever- look, I dunno what you thought when that hat went on your head but just promise me that you'll stay a true serpent at heart." Katrina nodded almost automatically, hardly aware of what she was agreeing to. "So you don't remember me at all?" Draco prompted again, looking at her closely.

"For heavens sakes I've never seen you before in my life!" Katrina said, incensed. "You must have me mistaken for someone else."

Draco gave her a long look, grey eyes piercing through her with such intent that Katrina suddenly felt as if her body and mind had been cast away and he was examining her bare soul. It was not a pleasant feeling. She had the sudden urge to run and hide in a broom closet.

"Oh no." He said softly, a lopsided smile on his face. "I'm not mistaken. I'm never wrong." Draco said, a trace of his old arrogance creeping into his voice. He paused; hesitating for a second before reaching out and for reason unknown to Katrina patted her on her left shoulder. "Welcome back." He muttered, turning on his heel and walking swiftly out of the room, only to return a second later. "Since you're in the same common room as Potter do you reckon you could poison him for me?" When all that greeted him was a blank, uncomprehending gaze, he shrugged grinning apologetically. "Thought I'd ask." When he'd walked out for the second time, Katrina let out the breath she hadn't realized that she'd been holding.

"Well, that was queer." She said out loud, glancing at her watch and cursing as she registered the time. Suddenly overcome by exhaustion Katrina hurried out of the room. As soon as she stepped out, the moon disappeared and the classroom plunged into darkness once again. Because of lack of sleep, both the people who had just left had failed to notice the emerald green eyes that almost seemed to glow with a light of their own in the black. Whatever Harry had expected Malfoy to do, what he had just witnessed had not been on the list.

-----

Blue grey eyes peered out from behind a curtain of dishevelled mahogany hair, a faintly puzzled look on her face, which clearly indicated lack of sleep. Defying all of her vows to stay awake Katrina found herself sinking into a stupor, her head dropping down onto her arms, eyes closing as her body claimed the sleep it deserved. She managed to escape everyone's notice for about 8 minutes, which was itself a record as she was in the middle of Charms and usually everyone was so occupied with what they were doing, everything else went unseen.

"Miss Milano. Miss Milano? Miss MILANO!" Professor Flitwick squeaked, peering at Katrina with a worried look on his face. "If you're not feeling well I'm sure that Madame Pomfrey can give you some medicine to make you feel perky in no time."

At these words Katrina's eyes flew open, suddenly wide awake. There was no way she was going to Madame Pomfrey and taking some stupid medicine - she'd had enough to last a lifetime. Struck suddenly with an unpleasant thought Katrina looked around the classroom. _'What if they look at me like **they **used to? What if they think-' Her_ train of thought was interrupted by what her eyes told her. What she saw surprised her but caused another sinking feeling in her stomach. Almost everyone in the class was looking at her with the same fake concern on their faces.

She could tell it was false from their eyes. She'd heard somewhere that eyes were the windows to ones soul. From the eyes that she'd tried to look through, Katrina as found the saying true for every window, apart from one. The image of cold grey optics flashed before her for a second and she shivered, as if the cold hatred concealed in Draco Malfoy's eyes could penetrate her from where she sat.  It seemed that he had learnt how to draw the curtains over the windows of his soul.

Blinking, she realised that the Professor was still talking about her.

"… volunteer to take Miss Milano to the hospital wing…" She heard to her dismay the Professor saying to the entire class.

"I'm fine Professor, seriously. I just couldn't get to sleep last night, new surroundings and all." Flitwick paused, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well, if it's just lack of sleep-" (Katrina nodded vigorously) "… but I'm still inclined to have Madame Pomfrey take a look at you."

"If I feel peaky I'll go straight to her." Katrina promised, with her fingers crossed under the table. Not looking entirely convinced, Flitwick nodded slowly the look on his face saying that he was going against his better judgement.

"I would advise you to take an early night today Miss Milano."

Nodding ardently, Katrina immediately returned to her slug, which she was supposed to be charm into smelling like crushed jasmine petals. At the moment it was emitting a sickly sweet smell that reminded her of the incents Professor Trelawney continually burnt in her and Firenze's joint classroom.

"Need help?"

Looking up Katrina saw Harry standing next to her.

"Smell my slug." She said dryly, watching as Harry slid into the empty stool beside her.

"Yeah, Harry Junior needs a bath too." He said, grinning and glancing over at Neville's slug which was emitting puffs of foul smelling smoke – each one smelling worse than the one before. When Katrina remained silent, Harry raised his eyebrows.

"This is supposed to be the part where you say – Harry! Of course you don't look like a slug; you should call it Malfoy Junior!"

At the mention of the name Malfoy Katrina twitched and her demeanour changed swiftly from friendly to cool. Noticing this, Harry dragged his stool closer to hers, lowering his voice.

"Listen Katrina, I know that I've told you before and that you don't believe me but Malfoy is bad news. His father is in Azkaban and he was… is… a death eater. And now that Voldemort is back-" [Katrina winced] "- we all have to stick together."

Katrina stayed silent for several minutes, staring at her oozing slug without actually seeing it.

"Katrina?" Harry prompted when she stayed silent in response to his speech.

"I was just thinking." She began but was cut off by Professor Flitwick.

"Mr. Potter, what are you doing out of your seat?"

"We'll talk later." Harry said quickly, getting up and walking way, shooting a smile over his shoulder which made her feel much better than she had before, although she suspected that she would be stuck with serious thoughts all day.

-----

"Dragon!"

Draco spun around, an expectant look on his face as he searched for a light haired brunette. The expression on his face changed as soon as he caught sight of a dark haired girl a smirk to rival his own on her face.

"Oh. It's you." Draco said tonelessly, eyes narrowed.

"Nice to see you too… Dragon." Keller said, a mocking grin painted upon her face as Draco's shoulders stiffened, eyes glinting angrily.

"Don't call me that." He said, his voice quietened deliberately. Looking the girl who stoof in front of him in the eye for the first time, Draco smirked inwardly as he saw the shock in Keller's eyes as she got a full blast of glacial cold.

"Don't _ever _call me that again." He said shortly, turning on his heel and walking briskly down the corridor without giving her a second glance. Nevertheless Keller still managed to have the last word.

"She won't come back to you. She only remembers snippets. Who knows what she'll remember."

Keller's laugh resounded in his head, chilling his heart in a way he hadn't thought possible.

-----

**A/N – Sorry I haven't been able to update, my home computer had a virus. I'm at my cousins house at the moment and I've hijacked the computer. I'll keep writing but I don't know whether I'll have enough time to update. Regards, DoF**


End file.
